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NYC 25mph Speed Limit high hopes to reduce traffic fatalities.

The New York City Department of Transportation has unveiled its new 25 mph speed limit signs, and the new speed limit is law effective Friday, November 7th. It’s been 30 miles per hour since 1965. So heads up weekend visitors driving into our beautiful city, including cab drivers and their drunk drivers.

“I think there’s a real consensus in this town that we need to have people drive more carefully, more safely, and slower for the protection of our kids, our seniors,” the mayor said.

Last week, Mayor de Blasio signed a law lowering New York City’s 30-miles-per-hour speed limit to 25. The change is the centerpiece of de Blasio’s Vision Zero plan to drastically reduce New York City traffic deaths, which numbered 291 last year. (To compare: The city saw 333 murders during the same period.) The majority of those killed were on foot when they were struck by cars or other vehicles, and the new speed limit is explicitly intended to protect pedestrians (even — or perhaps especially — the jaywalkers.) “When drivers are driving below 25 miles an hour, it gives them much more time to avoid crashes, gives drivers and pedestrians more time to see each other, greatly intensifies the opportunity to save lives,” said de Blasio at the signing, which took place at the Delancey Street intersection named after Dashane Santana, a 12-year-old killed by a minivan there in 2012.

The new NYC 25 MPH speed law has high hopes to reduce traffic fatalities. We’ll see.

Paul Ajlouny, New York personal Injury lawyer weighs in on the new 25mph speed limit. “This is ground breaking for New York City. Statistics show that a pedestrian has a 45 percent chance of surviving a collision when struck by a vehicle going less that 30mph, Lets just hope that with the new speed limit in place drivers will comply with the new ordinance and pedestrians will also do their part in avoiding getting hit by a car by by being attentive before crossing the street.” Say’s Mr. Ajlouny.

“This is going to be really interesting to watch once the lower speed limit is implemented, says Mr. Ajlouny, will bikers, cabbies and express bus running in the city start to slow down? Once all these motorists starts to receive summons from NYPD they might start to acknowledge the serious attempt to save lives”. On the flip side our police force is going to be busy writing up citations, rather than fight a rising crime rate in the city.” adds Mr. Ajlouny.

The new law still will allow Speeds of 30 miles per hour on parkways, expressways, and high-traffic “arterial” roads, such as Queens Boulevard and Staten Island’s Hylan Boulevard and Richmond Avenue. Meanwhile, school zones and other areas in need of what is called “traffic calming” will continue to have speed limits lower than 25 miles per hour. Streets with speed limits that are not 25 miles per hour should be clearly marked.

The 25 miles per hour will be the rule on about 90 percent of streets throughout the five boroughs including airports, highway exits, and other entry points to the city. However, as with the old speed limit, drivers who don’t see speed signage of any kind (which is the norm) are expected to assume that they should keep it to 25.

The new speed limit applies to all!This new speed limit will be expected of cyclists, who are often hurt or killed when hit by cars. Just this last year alone 113 pedestrians and 18 cyclists have died in New York City traffic accidents.